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 vice with the covenanters. On 15 July he also compelled the men of Aberdeen to subscribe a bond promising to pay a tithe of their yearly rent towards the ‘common charges’ (ib. p. 302). He compelled 140 men of the city of Aberdeen to join a regiment for the use of General Leslie for his English expedition (ib. i. 314;, iii. 255). Marischal was present at the meeting of parliament held at Edinburgh on 25 May 1641 (, iii. 2). On 10 Aug. he was ordered by the house to proceed with the Earl of Argyll and Lord Almond to greet the king on his way north (ib. p. 34). At this parliament it was, after long discussion, agreed that the macers were only to wait at the door, while the Marischal's men were to be reduced from five to one ‘allenerly,’ and he to sit at the bar. The Marischal's men within the doors of the house were to summon the macers when needed (ib. p. 57). On 17 Sept. Marischal was nominated to be of the privy council (ib. p. 66), and on 3 Nov. the nomination was confirmed by the estates (ib. p. 149).

Marischal's name appears first among the subscribers to the band of Cumbernauld in January 1641, but his adherence to Montrose was only temporary, and he never took any decisive step against the covenanters. On 31 Oct. 1643 he attended the meeting of the covenanters' committee in the north, when the question of the division of the shires of Mearns, Aberdeen, and Banff between him and Lord Gordon was discussed (, ii. 289). Marischal was again present at the meeting of 19 Dec., at which arrangements were finally completed for putting the northern shires in a posture of defence. He still, however, held back for some reason. In February he went south to lay his grievances before the committee of estates (ib. p. 317), and after his return in March he ceased to levy soldiers, but provisioned his stronghold of Dunnottar. Robert Baillie states that he remained at Dunnottar, being malcontent (Letters and Journals, ii. 234). In March he told Huntly that ‘he minded not to stir unless he were compelled thereto’ (, p. 331). He, however, attended a meeting of the Angus and Mearns committee, which decided to send commissioners to Huntly commanding him to disband his forces (ib. p. 336). Shortly afterwards he gave active support to Argyll against Huntly. His indecision at this time may be inferred from his declining to vote in the parliament in July on the motions imposing forfeiture of lands and life for ‘raising of armies and invading the kingdom, or holding houses against the estates of the country’ (, iii. 200). Nor did he at first join the rendezvous in September to oppose his old ally, Montrose. Montrose on his way north wrote to require his support; he returned an indefinite verbal reply, and forwarded Montrose's letter to the committee at Aberdeen (, p. 405). He remained inactive at Dunnottar till 10 Oct., when he attended a meeting of the committee at Aberdeen, at which an order was issued for a general rendezvous at the Bridge of Dee on the 14th (ib. p. 421). The order was almost completely ineffectual, and Marischal himself, on learning that Montrose had crossed the Dee again, left Aberdeen on 18 Oct. for Dunnottar (ib. p. 423). He made no active opposition to Montrose, but as he had given shelter at Dunnottar to several fugitives, Montrose on 15 March 1645 wrote to demand their surrender. On the advice of the ministers, seconded by his mother, Marischal declined to admit the messenger, and refused to return any answer. George Keith, Marischal's brother, conferred with Montrose at Stonehaven, but Montrose finally declared that if Marischal gave no direct assistance it would be at his own hazard. Marischal thereupon refused. His castle was practically impregnable, but Montrose burnt the stacked grain and outhouses round it, and set fire to the town of Stonehaven and the lands and houses of Cowie. The inhabitants implored the earl to give up the fugitives, but received no answer. When too late he is said to have deeply regretted his decision; but the counsel of the ministers kept his resolution firm. After the departure of Montrose to Kirriemuir, Marischal and others held a meeting of the committee at Aberdeen; but on learning of the approach of a force under Lord Gordon, Marischal retired to Dunnottar, and the council dispersed (ib. p. 465). In July he went south to Edinburgh to attend the meeting of parliament (, iii. 293), and at a subsequent parliament, convened at St. Andrews in August, his name was added to the commission for visitation of the universities (ib. p. 327).

In 1648 Marischal, with a troop of horse, joined the Duke of Hamilton's expedition to England, and was present at the rout of Preston, but escaped scatheless. In 1650 he entertained Charles at Dunnottar on his way to Worcester. On 20 Dec. 1650 he was chosen by parliament colonel of foot and horse for the shires of Aberdeen and Banff (ib. iv. 210), and on 6 June of the following year the regalia of Scotland were deposited in his castle at Dunnottar. While attending a committee of the estates at Alyth on 26 Aug. of the same year he was, with other mem-